Liverpool need a defender to come in in the January transfer window. The Reds have been ravaged by a plague of injuries since the start of the season. 13 first team stars have been sidelined, crucially two centre backs are among them. Liverpool loaning Jerome Boateng would benefit all involved.
Injury crisis at the back
The Reds are down to just one fit centre back.
We started the season with just three central defenders after Dejan Lovren was sold without being replaced.
Virgil van Dijk was then ruled out for the season with a ruptured ACL.
Since then Joe Gomez has also been sidelined and is expected to miss most of the rest of the campaign.
This leaves just Joel Matip standing and he isn’t exactly the most reliable player we have fitness wise.
Jerome Boateng contract
World Cup winner Jerome Boateng is out of contract at the end of the season.
The 32-year-old central defender has won it all with Germany and Bayern Munich but despite his mountain of experience, SportBild has claimed he won’t be offered a new deal.
This means he will likely be available to sign a pre-contract from January and the German side will be open to offers to cash in rather than lose him on a free.
Liverpool could loan Jerome Boateng
Liverpool should consider loaning Jerome Boateng from January until the end of the season.
Everybody is a winner in this scenario. Bayern are going to lose him on a free in the summer if, as expected, they don’t offer him a new contract.
This way they can recoup some money through a loan fee, or by getting him off the wage bill early.
Whilst the Reds wouldn’t be committing to signing a 32-year-old on a permanent deal.
It isn’t ideal but he is experienced and clearly talented, Liverpool could do much worse than Jerome Boateng and the move would buy time so that the club can sign a permanent option in the summer.